Cullen Bohannon
| Last = | Appearances = 10 }} Cullen Bohannon is a former Confederate soldier and slaveowner from Mississippi, he is the main protagonist of Hell on Wheels. He is portrayed by Anson Mount. Biography Background Bohannon is believed to have been raised by a wealthy, "great planter" family considering he inherited all the slaves his father possessed . Like many privileged, white boys of the South, he was raised by a slave. Towards the end of the war, his plantation was wrecked and his wife was killed by a platoon of Union soldiers, one of them being Union Pacific foreman Daniel Johnson. Bohannon sets out to reap his revenge on the soldiers responsible, ultimately taking him to Hell on Wheels. Season 1 Pilot Bohannon launches his revenge in Washington, D.C. by acting as a priest in a confessional. He asks the confessor, "Tell me about Meridian," who responds, "How do you know about Meridian?" Bohannon draws his revolver and shoots the former Union soldier through the eye. His quest of revenge takes him to Iowa and finally Hell on Wheels where he is hired by the foreman, Daniel Johnson, and is put in charge of overseeing the all-black cut crew. One of the men he oversees, Elam Ferguson, becomes indignant to him after learning that Bohannon was a former slave owner. Elam's friend, Willie, collapses due to dehydration and Cullen takes him to a water spout to drink from. Johnson comes over on his horse and chastises the men for taking a break. His horse is suddenly frightened and kicks its rear leg. Unfortunately, the horse kicked Willie on the head, breaking his skull and ultimately killing him. Johnson shows no remorse and simply says, "This is what happens when you break my rules." After event, Elam and Cullen take a break in a tent where Elam shows his intent of killing Johnson by sharpening a knife and ranting about how things have not changed for the former slaves following their emancipation. Cullen warns Elam to not go through with the act or else he will be hanged. Elam states that he will kill both Cullen and Johnson to prevent having any witnesses. Bohannon warns Elam again and he backs down from killing the former slaveowner. Cullen goes to the saloon and drinks with Johnson who reminisces about the Civil War and his immoral participation in Sherman's March. Suspicious, Cullen asks Johnson if he was ever in Meridian, Mississippi. The former Boy in Blue leads the former greyback outside at gunpoint and informs Cullen that he read the news articles about the murders that Bohannon has perpetrated. Johnson reveals that a sergeant strangled Cullen's wife. Suddenly, Elam appears behind Johnson and slits his throat. Distraught, Cullen begs the dying man to tell him what the sergeant's name was, but he dies. Immoral Mathematics After being introduced to The Swede, head security at Hell on Wheels, he is immediately implicated for the murder of Johnson since Bohannon does not blame anyone else for the murder. He is imprisoned within a freight car. The Swede eats in front of Cullen and describes his history and of his job as a bookkeeper. He was imprisoned by the Confederacy and describes how he used immoral mathematics to manipulate people. Bohannon kicks his meal and the Swede threatens him with death. Cullen grabs the spoon dropped by the Swede and used it to pry the nails from a loose floorboard. He escapes and Reverend Cole hides him from the Swede. Cole pleads Cullen to beg for forgiveness before being captured. Bohannon shrugs off the Reverend's pleas and turns to Elam to free him, an ironic act considering Bohannon was a former slave owner and Elam was a former slave. Cullen turns to Durant for mercy by asking him to hire him as his foreman. The former greyback tells him how he motivated his troops despite being outnumbered and stresses Durant's current predicament: the government funding does not take effect until Durant lays 40 miles of track. Bohannon is promptly hired and as he leaves Durant's car he is confronted by the Swede. The Swede draws his shotgun, "Beauty", and Durant tells him to lower his weapon for Bohannon is his new foreman. The God of Chaos Bohannon flashes back to riding home after the war, wearing the uniform of a Confederate cavalry captain.Davis, George B., Perry, Leslie J., and Kirkley, Joseph W., The Official Military Atlas of the Civil War, Random House Value Publishing, (1988) ISBN 0-517-53407-X The house and barn both smolder. He walks into the house, cutlery smashed on the floor and the house in a general state of disarray. He walks through the house to the porch and finds the hanging body of his wife, Mary. He cuts her down and cradles her body, stroking her hair. He buries her body and, presumably, his son (a second grave is seen) and rides off. Relationships Mary Bohannon Mary was a Northerner and it is unknown how she and Cullen met. She was very good at convincing Cullen, going as far as getting him to release their slaves. Though it is clear that Cullen loved Mary, he admits he "always had one eye on the door" and jumped at the chance to leave when the war started. Mary never stopped him, though she voiced her dislike of him leaving. His grief at losing her and their son is what fuels his vendetta against those responsible for their deaths. Lily Bell Bohannon's first thoughts of Lily were that she was a "spoiled, limey brat" and that she was neither "squaw nor whore" and didn't belong out on the frontier . Since then, his opinion has changed and the two have learned to work together to build the railroad. Lily is one of the only people who has influenced Bohannon enough for him to openly question his path of blood against the Union soldiers who burned his home and killed his wife. He hesitates leaving Hell on Wheels, even when Durant tells him that marshals are coming to arrest him, which seems to be connected to his feelings towards Lily. Appearances References Category:Characters Category:Males Category:Major characters Category:Season 1 characters Category:Status:Alive